Are my Coral healthy? (Video)

[JFinlay]

Hello! I have had a 40 breeder tank setup for just over a month, I added coral a lot sooner than anticipated due to a sale I couldn't pass up locally. All the corals in the photo cost me around $100 total. My tank cycled quickly from live rock and bottle bac, I've had clownfish in for over two weeks now. I'm just not sure how to understand if my corals are in good health, happy, etc or not. People say you can just tell by looking at them, but all I've known them to be is ticked off from moving, acclimating to a new tank, being adjusted around in the tank, now I've had them in one spot for a couple days, glued some down, and just want to know if you guys see anything alarming. Don't mind my torch coral as it's pooping right now so you can't really tell how it is.

My concern is mainly with knowing if my Favias are getting enough flow, I've seen recommendations from low-high so its unclear to me. And if my Montipora spongode is OK, half of it's polyps seem to be closed up today and haven't opened like they usually do. I'm using a ViparSpectra 165W at 60B/10W for lighting. I have a glass top lid

I have target fed them Mysis shrimp twice.

Parameters
API
Ph - 7.8-8.2? Hard to tell
Nitrate - 15ish
Salifert
Alk - 8.0
Calc - 440
Mag - 1400
I've been dosing with all for reef.

Flow?

youtube.com

 

[Saltyreef]

If the coral doesnt look happy, receeding or not opening, thats a clear indication there is an issue.

 

[JFinlay]

If the coral doesnt look happy, receeding or not opening, thats a clear indication there is an issue.

So in your opinion, do the corals in the video look ok? The Montipora being half closed concerns me, knew it would be a challenge since it’s a SPS, it’s kind of under the brace for my top so I might move it to get more light

 

[Saltyreef]

They all look ok for the most part.

The biggest thing with all for reef is making sure your nutrients stay elevated.

I would invest in a hanna ULR phosphate checker or at very least a red sea phosphate pro kit. Make sure it never gets below .02 IME.

 

[BahCorals]

coral looks good, no visible issues. as far as flow goes for favia, truly they could care less. i have some in nearly zero flow and others being blasted by a gyre directly. as long as detritus cant pile up or settle on them they will be fine

 

[JFinlay]

They all look ok for the most part.

The biggest thing with all for reef is making sure your nutrients stay elevated.

I would invest in a hanna ULR phosphate checker or at very least a red sea phosphate pro kit. Make sure it never gets below .02 IME.

Yes that’s why I didn’t test phosphate I haven’t decided on a tester, I was going to go with Salifert but with something so low like phosphate I think it would pay off to be precise so am leaning towards picking up a Hanna.

I’m trying to find a rhythm with AFR so I know how much to dose daily, testing to see how much it dips down each day, thank you for your input. Based on the explosion of diatoms I’m recently having I’m assuming phosphates getting high lol!

 

[JFinlay]

coral looks good, no visible issues. as far as flow goes for favia, truly they could care less. i have some in nearly zero flow and others being blasted by a gyre directly. as long as detritus cant pile up or settle on them they will be fine

Ty for your input, yea Favias don’t seem like the most popular kept coral so there isn’t too much care info on them, that would explain my varying research answers lol! I personally love them, and have them at the same points basically. Some are in low, med or high flow. The full tilt Favia I saw moving from flow so just wanted to make sure that wasn’t bad

 

[Saltyreef]

Yes that’s why I didn’t test phosphate I haven’t decided on a tester, I was going to go with Salifert but with something so low like phosphate I think it would pay off to be precise so am leaning towards picking up a Hanna.

I’m trying to find a rhythm with AFR so I know how much to dose daily, testing to see how much it dips down each day, thank you for your input. Based on the explosion of diatoms I’m recently having I’m assuming phosphates getting high lol!

You should do a 5 day testing consumption trend. You can test day 1 to 5 or each day depending on your bioload.

Then you can average your daily alk consumption which AFR only requires.


Fwiw, i use salifert for alk, cal, mag and nitrate + ULN nitrate but i do use red sea pro for phosphate as a color test. I prefer the hanna ULR phoshate tester as I'm getting older and vision is suffering.